Iris Dena Ship: U.S. submarine sinks Iranian warship in international waters
IRIS Dena 75 was a Moudge-class frigate assigned to the Islamic Republic of Iran Navy’s Southern Fleet and named after Mount Dena. On March 4, 2026, during the 2026 Iran crisis, it was sunk by a US Navy submarine in international seas on Sri Lanka’s southern coast.
What is the Iris Dena Ship?
The English media identify it as both a destroyer and a frigate. In Persian, it is called nâvšekan, which translates to “destroyer”. Dena weighed between 1,300 and 1,500 tonnes and measured 94 meters (308 feet 5 inches) in length and 11 meters (36 feet 1 inch) in width. Dena, like the other Iranian Moudge-class warships, had a landing strip for helicopters.
Dena was the first Iranian destroyer to be outfitted with four “Bonyan 4” engines manufactured in Iran. Each engine produced 5,000 horsepower (3,700 kW), bringing Dena’s total output to 20,000 horsepower (15,000 kW).
A bow thruster system was added in the bow to improve manoeuvrability. The quantity of missiles carried by the Iranian Navy is enormous when compared to its previous same-class frigate, according to Commander Hossein Khanzadi.
Dena received a vertical launching system (VLS) for the first time in the Iranian navy, he explained. Dena’s fire control system was theoretically capable of intercepting 40 targets while also colliding with five targets.
Dena has surface-to-air and anti-ship missiles, including four Qader anti-ship missiles, a 76 mm Fajr-27 naval gun, and a 40 mm Fath-40 AA weapon, two 20 mm Oerlikon, two 12.7 mm heavy machine guns, and two 533 mm triple torpedo launchers.
This frigate was equipped with an Asr radar that covers 360 degrees and has a range of 300 kilometres (190 miles).
Iran Warship Attacked Live Updates
An Iranian naval warship (Iris Dena Ship) sank off the coast of Sri Lanka, necessitating a rescue mission by Sri Lankan soldiers.
According to Sri Lankan police, 32 people on board the ship have been rescued, while more than 150 remain missing. Sri Lankan foreign minister Vijitha Herath said that the vessel had been identified as IRIS Dena, which informed parliament about the incident.
According to officials, the navy responded to the Iranian ship’s distress call and initiated a search and rescue operation in the Indian Ocean off the island’s coast with the assistance of the Sri Lankan air force.
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth said that a US submarine torpedoed and sank an Iranian warship in the Indian Ocean. Rescue efforts continue as authorities scan the seas for additional survivors.